


Understanding (Repkyle)

by moonrose8456



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Canon LGBTQ Male Character, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbian Disaster Adora (She-Ra), M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-27 03:22:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30116421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonrose8456/pseuds/moonrose8456
Summary: Kyle and Rogelio have been living peacefully in the waste since after the war. They’ve found love and safety in The Valley of the lost, and all is well, until a stranger with links to the past shows up and threatens to tear it all apart.At first they feel unsure, how bad could it be? But Kyle is more important than he was previously led to believe.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra), Kyle/Rogelio (She-Ra)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. one

Rogelio's POV

Kyle always tells me stories about his day, about what's going on in the world, what havoc Imp has been wreaking across the Crimson Waste. He tells me how much he loves me.

I can't respond the way he can.

I listen to his voice, the voice that calms me down after a panic attack, the voice that grounds me when I feel as though I could kill somebody with anger, and then he waits for me to speak. It warms my heart, how although I can't speak with words, he'll place a hand on the side of my face and give me that smile that tells me to open up.

And so I'll tell him how I'm feeling with a look, or I'll show him how much I care about him with a kiss, or I'll place my hand over his to make sure he stays. But the times that seem to really warm my heart are the times when I try to speak to him, and he tries to understand.

He's been learning how to understand my way of communicating from Lonnie, and I appreciate it in ways that I can't even begin to describe, but there's something special about telling him a story and seeing him smile even if it was terrible in reality, or watching him blush when I tell him I love him because it's the only phrase he can understand. For now, it's wordless whispers, small grunts that he's free to decipher in whatever ways he wants to.

I guess that's why as I lay with him in front of me, curled around his body with his back pressing against my stomach and hugging him with my tail, I'm reminded of the fact that he loves me, and I love him too. For once, nothing can take this away from us.

He nuzzles into me and the tough skin on my chest tingles where his soft hair brushes against it. He smells like fresh fruit. His hand reaches up slowly like he knows I'm awake, and he both gently and blindly runs his hand down my cheek and along my jawline. I can feel my stomach squirming.

This always happens. He touches me, or looks at me, and my entire nervous system seems to collapse. That's quite admirable, given that he's an anxious wreck who cries when I 'look at him funny' and I'm not usually so open to emotions that make me feel vulnerable.

"Hey, Ro."  
He yawns, turning his head slightly to see my face. I smile at him and open my mouth, but hesitate. I don't want to ruin the moment. We're both wearing sweatpants, but our bare abdomens brush together as we breathe.

Kyle rolls over completely so that we're face to face, his finger tracing circles on my arm as I hug him tighter with my tail.

"It's so early."  
He says. His smile is so sweet, so genuine, that it makes my heart ache every time. He looks behind me and out through the tiny gap in our 'curtains' that's really just one of my t-shirts hung on the window frame. We don't exactly have the luxury of living in a castle like others do.

If I was to guess, I would say it's around six.

The sky is an orange colour and white streaky clouds can be seen above the horizon. Or room is still cast under a shadow, considering theres no room for light to get in through the curtain. Not much places get light in the Crimson Waste.

I shrug and bow my head so that our foreheads touch, and even in the dark I see his cheeks flush pink. He kisses me suddenly and I pull him closer, feeling like maybe I won't ruin the moment by trying to say something-

"Kyle? Rogelio?"  
Someone says from the foot of our bed. We both jump and Kyle yelps in terror, scrambling away from me and pulling the covers up to his nose. I don't even realise I'm pointing the staff I keep beside me when I sleep at the source of the voice until they look at me funny.

At the foot of our bed stands two familiar silhouettes. Kyle turns on the lamp and I groan at the sudden light, but I'm cut short when one of the intruders, or more fitting, interrupters, let's out a huge sigh.

"Woah, I'm so relieved! Glimmer was all 'Let's teleport to their room!' and I was like 'That's definitely not a good idea!' And she was like, it's not like they'll be doing anything-"  
Kyle flushes crimson and I can't help but relate to him. I mean, we're half naked right now.

"Adora? Glimmer? Why are you here?!"  
He asks in a hushed tone, giving me a nervous side-glance. We both know they wouldn't come to us unannounced if it wasn't important, let alone at this hour of the morning. Glimmer frowns.

"We're having a meeting back at the castle, we can explain everything. We just need you guys to be there to consider."  
She says. I look to Kyle and we both shrug at the same time. I nod to him and he smiles at me, before turning to the pair at the end of our bed. I can't help but feel really nervous right now.

"It's not ideal, but this was one of the few times we could get everyone together in one place."  
Adora says.

"Uh, okay."  
I clamber out of bed with no problem, but Kyle stays put, his cheeks turning red once more. I throw him our t-shirt curtain and he pulls it on hastily. I make do with a hoodie. Glimmer smiles at us and Kyle awkwardly does the same back, but I don't. It's either the morning grumpiness showing, or the fact that they intercepted something that was definitely going somewhere. Adora gulps.

That is not a good sign.

When we take hold of Glimmer's arm we're zipped through both time and space to reappear inside the castle, outside a large door to a room we've certainly never seen before. Adora smiles nervously and Glimmer pushes the door open.

Kyle takes my hand in an instant and we both tense up at the sight before us. Catra, Bow, Sea-Hawk, Netossa, Spinnerella and all of the princesses smile at us from a large round table, all of them seated in tall and uncomfortable looking chairs. Not really what I was expecting. Kyle smiles at everyone in that unique and awkward way of his and I nod in all of their directions. 

Glimmer takes her seat at her throne and Adora ushers us over to two stools that have been pushed over for us to sit on. When we sit down, everybody turns to the queen.

"I'm so confused."  
Kyle whispers into my ear, so quietly I can barely hear him. I nod in agreement and we look at Glimmer. Our grip on each other's hands doesn't even threaten to loosen.

"Okay! Well, thank you to everyone for being here. I know that the princesses were here for a sleepover anyways, but the rest of you came, so thanks!"  
Glimmer says with a cheery tone. How can she be this peppy this early in the morning? There's another thing I love about Kyle; he's quiet. Although something does seem off about Glimmer, like she's acting overly happy to mask another feeling inside.

"Something really weird happened and I think we should all address it. Catra? You can take over."  
We all turn to Catra, who's sporting one of Adora's cropped t-shirts just like Kyle is wearing an oversized one of mine. Her hair is tucked into messy bun and her eyes are heavy and tired, but she smiles at everybody sitting at the table. So much for being a morning grouch like back at the Fright Zone... I guess we switched roles.

"Last night, me and Adora went for a walk. Everything was fine; the breeze was soft, the air was humid. But then..."  
She reaches into her pocket and pulls out some kind of Crystal.

"Something flew over the planet. It looked like a ship, but I'm not even sure if it was one. I only saw this fly off of it, so I made Glimmer teleport us over to have a look."  
Everybody looks at the crystal and then to each other. My stomach knots a little. Why does this have anything to do with us?

Kyle must be thinking the same thing, because he clears his throat and turns red once everybody looks at him. I squeeze his hand as a form of encouragement. 

"Sorry to be uh... rude, but..."  
I draw circles on the back of his hand with my thumb to call him down, just like I used to do when we were kids.

"Why were we called to this meeting? I mean... we know we weren't your first choice."  
He gulps while Glimmer sighs and runs a hand through her poofy hair.

"We asked Lonnie, but she said she didn't want to fight anymore because she wants to take care of Imp. She told me to ask you two."  
Fight? I feel myself beginning to sweat and I grunt in confusion. Kyle pats my back softly, but of course Catra is the only one who fully understands me. She and Lonnie had a knack for learning things about my strange dialect during our time with the Horde, and to be honest I think the only reason behind helping me out was because they treated it like a competition.

"We're not sure if we have to fight yet. We just thought you two would come in useful if it came down to it."  
She responds. Kyle shakes his head.

"Why would finding a crystal thing come down to fighting?"  
He asks. I nod. Everybody looks around the table and Adora clears her throat, holding Catra's hand for support.

I'm not liking the looks of this.

"We're gonna need you guys to keep a good eye on the Waste."  
She says. Me and Kyle share a look.

"There's a message on the crystal, in first one's writing."  
My eyes widen a little and Kyle's do to. He grips my hand a little tighter in anxiousness.

"It says to be careful, because they're coming. That's why I need all of you to keep guard of your kingdoms and tell us if anything strange happens. We don't know if they dropped it intentionally."  
Everybody shares looks of worry and uncertainty. I can see that Kyle is having a bit of a panic attack, so I plant a gentle kiss on his forehead to help him relax. We've been trying to forget about all the times we fought against the rebellion, since it brings back unpleasant memories for the two of us. This isn't exactly helping.

"Who's coming?"  
Bow asks, his arm slung around Glimmer's shoulders. Adora sighs and Catra nods for her to continue.

"The first ones."


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Kyle’s POV

"The war ended nearly three years ago. Why do we still have to fight?"  
I say, anger lacing my tone. Ro shrugs and sits down on our sad excuse for a couch.

"I don't see why we have to help, either."  
I sit down next to my boyfriend and hold my face in my hands, my elbows digging into my knees as I let out shaky breaths.

I've gone two months without a flashback. No memories of the Horde, of being bullied, of fighting innocent people... But now it's all flooding back, like the word 'fight' is a key that unlocks my anxiety. I feel a sturdy hand on my back and I try to relax, but it's useless.

A knock on our door sounds and Ro gets up to answer it, but I stay in my current position.

"Good, you're back. I'm guessing they told you about the crystal?"  
Lonnie says, stumbling in the door with a familiar blue creature in her hands. Her voice rings in my head.

'the Crystal'

I sit up and turn to her, my eyebrows creased into a frown.

"Why didn't you tell us about it? Maybe I could've had a panic attack a bit earlier."  
I ask. I notice that my tone is harsh, a little mean, even, but once I start to panic manners don't matter to me. Lonnie sighs and shoves Imp into Rogelio's arms before folding her own.

"I was busy. And besides, it's not like anything's actually going to happen around here."  
She says. Rogelio shoots me a concerned look, but I shrug him off. I turn back and face away from them again. Of course she wouldn't tell us. After all these years she still leaves me out of everything.

I hear Rogelio's familiar growling and Lonnie scoffs. The only word I caught him say was 'alone'. Maybe he's telling her off.

"You guys gotta keep your hands off each other. You're getting all soft!"  
Lonnie exclaims. Imp repeats her words and I squeeze my eyes shut.

'Soft'.

Why is that an insult? Why do I feel so offended when people tell me I'm soft? So what if I am?

"And?"  
I ask. Rogelio sits next to me and shakes his head, Imp imitating him while perched on his knee.

He grumbles something and I completely understand him. I must be getting better 'She didn't say we were weak.'

I nod. He's right, as usual. She never called me weak, I just interpreted it that way.

"Whatever, Lonnie."  
I grumble. She sits next to me and rests her legs up on our wobbly table.

"What have you two been up to, anyways? You barely come visit."  
Rogelio and I share a guilty look and my cheeks burn up a little.

"We've been busy, I guess."  
Lonnie frowns.

"I'd appreciate the stop by every now and then. Imp isn't exactly good company."  
We nod. For a moment the silence hangs in the air, heavy and full of force. My mind wanders to the past before I can stop it. The past, when all three of us were so close that we were rarely seen apart. When Adora and Catra were still cadets, and they would play pranks on me. It was hard some days, but if I was going to be a distraction from their troubles I was willing.

Lonnie gets up and scoops her tiny blue friend up from Rogelio's arms.

"I get that you guys want to forget the past, and all the bad things we did. But that was our childhood."  
And without missing a beat, she leaves. Paint crumbles to the floor when she shuts the door and I feel slightly nauseous, maybe from guilt. I think she's a bit mad.

"We're not bad for wanting to forget the past, are we?"  
I ask. Ro shrugs and puts a pot of water over the stove. I've spent the last three years feeling guilty, and now I'm about to feel even worse about it? It's as though every time I try to relax a million voices start taking in my head, telling me how wrong I am, how I'm a bad person. 

I turn and look at Rogelio. Maybe he's just heating up water, but there's something off about how he's acting. Not trying to cheer me up, (not that he's obligated to, but it's usually what he does), agreeing with everything I say?

"Uh, Ro? Is something wrong?"  
Maybe I don't want to know. Even if I knew what the problem was I'm too awkward to help. He pours some of the hot water into two ceramic cups and drops a spoonful of cocoa powder into each before sitting next to me. Whenever we have hot chocolate it's never as nice as the ones from Bright Moon, made with creamy milk, but there's something familiar and homely about them.

I take the cup from his hands and sigh.

"You can talk to me, you know. I can only learn how to understand you better if you open up."  
Rogelio looks at me for a minute, his eyes observing and skimming over every inch of my face, but doesn't linger as much as I wish he would.

"I'm getting better, Ro. I know what you're saying way more now than I could have before."  
I say. My voice cracks a little and a bubble of worry rises up my throat. Why won't he talk-

My thoughts are interrupted when he finally speaks to me. His eyes are trained on the ground, but mine are focused on him and him only. I catch a few words.

'Accept','forget','who we are'.

"You want to accept... who we are?"  
I ask. He smiles a little and shakes his head, my mistakes and lack of understanding has always been amusing to him. He says something else and I hear most of it.

"We can't forget? We can't forget who we are?"  
He laughs and I know I'm wrong again. Although I'm frustrated I can't help but feel a smile creeping up on me. We both take a sip of our hot chocolate at the same time, and we give each other the same side-glance that we did when I first told him I loved him.

That look of shock, and happiness, all mixed into one. Like all of a sudden you realise that this is who you're destined to be with, and this is who you've been searching for all along.

"You want to... accept who we are?"  
I try. He nods and grumbles out something else.

"We can't forget... we should accept..."  
I tap my fingers on the cup in my hands and try to think, and then it hits me.

"We shouldn't forget the past, we should accept it as part of who we are!"  
Rogelio nods and we both laugh.

Maybe it's the heat of the Valley of the Lost, or maybe it's the heat of the hot cup in my hands, but for what could be the fifth time today my face feels hot and itchy all of a sudden, and I just know that my cheeks are red. Ro places a hand on my left cheek and makes it worse, so I shove him away playfully.

"Hey, stop!"  
I giggle when he starts to tickle me. I hastily put my cup on the table and try to get him back, but it's useless. We both laugh when I climb on top of him and try to tickle him, but instead I'm the one who gets it.

"Good luck now!"  
I say, now straddling his legs and pinning his arms down. It doesn't take long for me to go red again. He raises his eyebrows and smiles at this and I have to force myself to look away before I get so embarrassed I shrivel up and die on the spot. I let go of him and lie down, my head resting on his chest and listening to his heartbeat. 

It's fast, but slowing down. Like a train grinding to a halt, or breathing becoming more steady after running for a while. He runs his hand through my messy hair and my skin tingles where he touches me, sending shivers down my spine and around my whole body.

"I love you."

I whisper. Ro moves his hand to my back and growls something in return.

'I love you, too.'


	3. Three

Rogelio's POV

I wake up on the couch with a blanket draped over me. The room is dark, so I must have slept for a while. The note on the table beside my cold cup of hot chocolate is the only thing I can see clearly, so I open it up.

'Gone to get us some food!  
Love, Kyle'

Hopefully he left earlier... even after the war the waste is unsafe after dark. He doesn't normally leave alone during the night unless he's trying to distract himself from something.

I get up slowly and trudge over to the window, peering out to the street outside. There's a couple of kids running around together, dodging their parents as they kick a football around. Eventually they go inside.

I watch as people begin to hang up curtains and wedge their doors shut, lighting candles that cast a soft glow out onto the path, their light dancing over the concrete walls and in through the window.

Deciding it's best to do the same, I take up a random towel from the chest of drawers in the corner of the room and tuck it into the window frame. When I turn on the lamp, our tiny flat is transformed into a warm home.

"Hi sleepy head."  
Kyle says, slipping inside and shutting the door, sending flakes of paint to the ground just like very other time. 

Our place is old and shabby. It was the only flat available in the area and we knew we couldn't spend any longer alone with Lonnie, so we took the first offer we could get. We could be living in worse conditions, though. And as corny as it sounds, as long as I have Kyle I don't mind where we stay. Yeah, forget I said that.

Kyle kicks the wooden wedge that was on the table under the door so that it can't be opened, and I take the bag of food from him. His eyes look tired and worn, but his smile looks happy and full of life.

"You know, I like it here. It's not as bad as you make it out to be."  
He says, glancing at me. I pretend that I don't know what he's talking about, even though he obviously saw the way I was looking around.

'It's not the best.'  
I say.

"If you said what I think you did, it doesn't have to be the best. Anywhere is better than the Fright Zone, okay?"  
I roll my eyes and force myself to nod. I promised Kyle a year or two ago that we would get out of here one day, that I would find the perfect house for us to live in with zero distractions around and zero dangers nearby. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to do it just yet.

I usher for him to sit down and I sort the boiled vegetables from the bag he brought home out onto two plates. When I sit down, he nudges me with his elbow. How eyes still look tired.

"Thanks. You know... I was thinking on the way back,"  
I nod for him to continue.

"The whole crystal thing? Even if something bad does happen... I think we'll be ok. We've already been through the worst, right?"  
I swallow a mouthful of baby carrots and smile at him. Something's off.

'We'll be okay.'  
I think he gets me. He turns to me and sets his plate down on the table so that all of his attention is on me. I do the same.

"Can I tell you something? It's kind of messed up..."  
I nod. My Kyle? Messed up? He takes a deep breath and I notice his hands are trembling so I take them into mine.

"I'm scared. I know it was just one crystal with one message, and it might even be some kind of misunderstanding, but..."  
His eyes well up with tears and he tries to blink them back, creating a glossy sheen across his pupils. I hold his hands a little tighter.

"I keep getting flashbacks. It's that thing- I'm so scared, Ro!"  
I can see the panic in his eyes and my heart crumbles inside of me. I wrap my arms around him and move my hands up and down to try and relax him, but only more choked sobs follow.

Maybe the war between the rebellion and the horde ended years ago, but the war going on inside of Kyle's head between his happiness and trauma is still raging on. His hands ball into fists and those fists clutch onto my shirt, making me feel helpless.

'It's okay to be scared. You're strong. I'll protect you.'  
Maybe he heard a load of growls, maybe he heard me word for word, or maybe he isn't even listening, but he nods anyways.

"I'm sorry, it's dumb. I think I'm gonna go to bed. You can have my dinner."  
He says through his tears. I frown and ruffle up his hair, running my fingers through his blonde locks.

Nobody should have to feel this way. Nobody at all yet the lack of caring from the universe has destined Kyle for this pain. What did he do to deserve it?

He sits up again and let's out a shaky breath while I wipe the tears from his face.

"I feel bad for wasting our money like that... I mean I just went out and got it and now I'm having a mental freaking breakdown."  
I can't help but smile at his cluelessness. It's just like him to push his pain inside for the benefit of others, but I won't let it happen. Not this time.

'Go to sleep. We can eat all of this tomorrow.'  
I say. He nods and makes his way into our bedroom, not bothering to change before I hear him slipping under the covers.

Kyle's POV

I feel numb.

Everywhere I look just becomes this giant mess of memories from my past, of fighting and losing people who meant something to me.

Even the sound Rogelio bagging up our wasted vegetables that probably won't be eaten tomorrow is finding a way to manifest into the sound of weapons and machinery, and his footsteps to the sound of us training to fight princesses.

I try to focus on the sound of him washing our plates, the soft rush of water from the faucet gentle but still present enough to distract me. Then I focus on my happiest memory. The one that I can always count on to drag me out of whatever this is and into a happier state.

~

The night was cold and harsh, wind was whipping against our faces and the rain was lashing down on top of our heads. Me and Rogelio were positioned inside of a cave, prepared to attack. We were sitting opposite each other.

Rogelio shouted somethingbover at me over the howling wind, and at the time I had no idea what he was saying. I just nodded and pretended to understand.

"Yeah, sure."  
I could tell from the look I got back I gave the wrong response. That was when the rougher winds came, and my fingertips started to go numb with the cold.

It was Rogelio who helped me feel warm.

He scooted over to me, slow at first, but soon moving faster. I was confused, but once he wrapped his arms around my shoulders that confusion was eradicated. Something about feeling the warmth from his skin wrapped around me, something about his warm breath against my hair, something about how strong he was, made me realise.

"I love you."  
The words came out before they even crossed my mind. My stomach felt as though it had dropped right down to my feet and my heart felt like it was being squeezed in someone's hand.

But then we shared that look.

A side glance, me looking to my left and him to his right, into each other's eyes. Love was coming from a place deep inside of both of us and showing itself in our expressions, our lips curling into a smile in unison. That was also the first time I understood him.

'I love you.'  
He said, hugging me tighter. And we've been together ever since.

~

I flinch when Rogelio kicks off his boots and slides in beside me, wiggling up behind me and resting his chin on my head.

'You ok?'  
To be honest, I don't know anymore. I don't think anyone's ok.

"Yeah."  
I reach back and run my fingers along his jawline. I'm not sure how I discovered it, but this is one of those things that helps me when I'm feeling down. Most things I do to calm down involve Rogelio. Surprise surprise!

I feel one of his strong arms wrap around me and I finally crack a smile.

"You make me feel safe."  
I whisper. He hugs me tighter and I wiggle backwards so that I can feel his breaths.

Within minutes, I've drifted off into a dreamless slumber.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ll be updating this bi-weekly or possibly more, but for anyone who wants to continue reading the full version is on wattpad with my same username and title!


End file.
